Improvement in bee-hives



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GEORGE CALVERT, or `UPPERV1LLE, VIRGNIA.

Letters Patent No. 91,712, dated June 22, 1869.

The Schedifle referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.`

To all whom 'it may conce'r'n:

` making part of this specification.

My improvements rclate primarily to the bee-house for which LettersPatent of the United States were granted me, November 1, A. D. 1853.

The object of my invention is to produce a perfect alternating andhrood-uniting bee-house, or palace, adapted for selllprotection andautomatic cleansing, for taking the honey in the most safe andconvenient manner, withoutinjnry to the bees, and to provide suitableinternal and external ventilation of the hives and honeyboxes, asrequired.

ltIyimpi-ovement consists in certain novel constructions, combinations,and arrangements of parts hereinaftcr set forth.

In thc drawings- Figure 1 is a sectional perspective' view of myimproved-bee-house, with the front doors open, and one of the hivesremoved.

Figure 2 is an external perspective view, taken from a differentstand-point from li". 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional perspective view of a number of adjoining andcommunicating hives removed, and viewed from still another differentstand-point.

Fignre. 4 is a perspective view of one of a number of similar-perfbratedslides employed in nniting swarms.

Figure 5 is an edge view of one of a graduated series ofelitrance-protectors and heat-regulators, employed at each entrance tothe hives.

A A, tigs. 1 and 2, represent difl'erent parts of a house,

of suitable material, form, and dimensions, for the reception andprotection from the weather of the hives, and provided with thecustomary doors, U U, U' ti'ont and back, for access to its interior. Itis constructed without tloor, and is divided by a central Verticalpartition, B, parallel with its sides, into two compartments, for thereception of two similar series, or nests of hives,hereinafterdescribed, being further provided with suitavhly-locatedcleats,'o1' sills, G L, for the support of the different hives.

O O represent cntrances, or cnt-otfs, suitably secured between thepartition B and the sides of the house, with their upper surfaces on alevel with that of the lower cleats U, as reprcsented iu ii". 1. Theyare of V-form, in cross-section, as shown in said figure, and areproyidcd with suitable passages, F, for the bees to pass .in and outthrough, for the disc'harge of refuse or littei', and for the entranceof air to the interior of the hives.

D E, D E represent pairs or Vertical series of hives, of preciselysimilar size and form, designed for' use, the lowerones'as brood-hives,and the upper as store-hives, their similar size and form adapting themto be alternated when desircd or required, or for uniting swarms, ashcrcinafter more particularly described; being further separatel yadapted to be withdrawn for taking the honey, or for other purposes.

These 'hives are all supported on the cleats O,the lower ones restingdirectly thereon, and the others on top of them, and occnpy, preferably,the immediate` frontof the house, the cntrances, or cut-oli's O beingarranged centrally beneath them, as shown. They are each constxuctedwith bottoms,1)' representing two inclined planes, sloping to or towardthe centre, where a space of sufiicient size is left, extending fromside to side, for the passage of the bees, said openings being adaptedto register with those, F, of the entrances, or 'cnt-otfs O, as shown atD, in tig. 1, when in the lower position. They are further provided, intheir tops, with a pair of suitable openings, G, adapted to register,when below, with the openings in the bottoms of the ones placed abovethem, to form a pnssagc for the bees between them, and for the dischargeof thc refnse or littel' from the upper hives; andwhen above, to alfordmeans for introducing sirnp for the bees to feed on, when it is desiredto nnite the swarms, as hereinafter set forth, or at other times, ifrequired. They have, fnrther, in their bncks, openings, K, to affordcommunication between them and the store-hives an'd honeyboxes in therear.

H H are store-hives, or boxes, arranged in rear of the lower hives D E,and supported on the elevated cleats L, they having inclined bottoms,registcring with the rear parts of the bottoms of the lower ones of saidhives, and openings H',immediately above their bottoins, registeringwith the openings Kof said hives, as shown, to allow the bees to passback and forth between them. Their tops are on a level with the tops ofsaid front hives, and are provided with openings, H, similar to those,G, in the tops of said hivcs, for the passage of bees, to hives andboxes for virgin-honey, above, said hives, or boxes H forming passages,or auto-rooms thereto. Their primary object, however, is to contain astock of honey for the use of 'the bees in winter.

I I are hives, constructed similarly to the hives D F, and simi'la-rl ypertorated, and supported on the storehives H, communicating therewith,by means of the openings H, with honey-boxes l' l, by means of openingsI' 1", and with the upper ones of said hives D E by means of openings1"".

4The hives D E, I, and boxes I'I, may bc made with glass fronts, d e 'ii, or the boxes with sides and ends' of glass, as shown.

lt will be seen, by reference to fig. 1, that the bees, entel'ing the`-hives through the entrances, or cut-oflfs suitable door.

O by means of the,passages-G K H' H If 1" 1", may find access unto allthe hives and honey-boxes.

To isolate, or separate the hives to any desired cxtent, I employslides, S S', of tin or otherv thin sheetmetal, by placing which betweenthe hives, or boxes which it is desired to sepa-rate, as shown in 3, thepassages between said hives, or boxes may be readily closed.

P P, fig. 1, represent openings provided in the fronts of'the hives D E,to afibrd an additional means of ingress and eg'ress for the bees whensaid hives are in vtheir upper position, and closed, when not required,by

means Gf suitable slides, as show'n.

V is an opening` provided in the door of the house, opposite theentrance P of the upper hive, for thepassage of the bees to and from theupperhive, by thatsource, being likewise adapted to be closed by aVsuitble door when notrequired. The object of this provision is toobviate the necessity of the bees passing through the lower hives toreach the upper, when that is used as a store-hive, and also to atlordconvenient means for supplyi1-1,' r the bees with food, out of the reachof robbers. It is shown applied to the hives on the left-hand side ofthe partit-ion B on'ly, but is intended to be applied to both alike. v

T represents an opening provided in the side of the hive, in suchposition as to correspohdwith openiugs `T' in the sides ofthe hives D E,when they are in the position of E, and employed as store-hives, so thatthe bees will vacate the hive when it is desired to take the honey,being closed at other times by means of a This provision also is shownon butone side of the house, butis,'like that last descrihed, designedto be employed on both sides.

\V W represent uentilating openings, formed in the sides and partitionof the house, for the passage of air to the space between the tops ofthe lower hives aml the backs of the i'nolined bottoms of the upperhives, for the purpose of prcventing the honey from melting down in hotweather, those parts of said hives, where uuelting` would be most Iikelyotherwise to occur, being thus kept snfh'ciently cool to effectuallyprevent it.

The outer ones of the openings XV are covered by pe1'f.n'ated slides'W',to prevent insects from entering. By turuing theI slide W' aside, thepelfectly closed when required, as in cold weather.

Q Q' represent slides employed to regnlate the entrance of air throughthe passages F ot' the entrances or cut-olfs O, to 'increase or lowerthe temperature of the hives, and to vary the. area. of passage, asrequired, being held between the inclined fronts of said entrances orcut-otfs, and parallel cleatsllt.

These slides are constructed as represcnted in ligs. land 5, with anumber (preterably four) of notches qq', the partitious between whichare bevcllcd off from the inner side to points as representcd in saidlatter figure, so as to present no obstruction to the passage of refnseor litter thereby.

I employthree of these slides for having notches of varying area.

'lfhus the notches of one may be one-half inch in diametcr, of anotherthree-fourths of an inch, and of another one inch in diametcr.

The primary objects 4or uses of these slides are to so vcontract theentmnce as to enable the beesto ra'pidly raise the temperature of thehive to the necessary height to cause the wax to stick, whiehcthey eachentrance,

could not otherwise do, to regulate the temperature of the hives, and tofacilitate the expulsion of intruders, or robber bees For the first andlast purposes, .I cm'ploy the slide having the smallest area of passage;in the former case to limit the entrance of air, and in the latter caseopcnings may be to decrease to the minimum the area of passage todefend.

For the purposc of ordinary ventilation, 1 employ, as indicated, one orthe' other of the slides, as the size or character of the swarm, theclimate, season, or weather may require. To entirely close the'entrances for any purpose, I simply insert the slides in an iuvertedposition.

M are alighting-boards, which are supported on cleats N, below theentrances or cnt-otfs O.

In the useofmy improved house, when it is desired to take the honey inthe honey-boxes, the passages to them can be closed, and they be readilywithdrawn through the doors U'. v

The honey in the hives I may be secured in similar manner.

To take the honey in the upper ones of the' hives 1) E, the entrancesthereto are closed, and the doors T, in the sides ofthe house, opened,on the diselosure of which nnusual means of egress the bees will readilyand quicklyv vaca'ce, when they may be withdrawn through the doors Uwithout danger or trouble. I am thus enabled to obvia-te the necessityof the employment of any means of expulsion, which always results ini|`|jury to the bees and honey.

To keep separate colonies or swarlus in the hives D and E, the passagesbetween them are closed by slides S and the entrances P to the upperhives, and the doors V opened, when the bees will pass in and outthrough those passages, those for the lower hives passing through the'main entrances.

vTo unite two swarlus respeotively in D and'E of one of the series ot'the house, a perforated slide, S', is placed between said hives, asrepresented in lig. 3, so that the smell of the swarm underneath mayascend into the hive-above.

The swarm above becoming accustomed to that, the slide S is removed, andthe swarms allowed to unite.` o r The perforated slide S'. may befurtherused to more perfectly and expeditiously effect 'this object, byplaciug,r one of them'over 'the openings G in the upper hive E, andintroducing through itscented sirup, which, passing through both hives,and the bees in each feeding thereon, their scent will becomeassimilated, and their union thus remlered safe, certain, and easy.

To alternate the hives D E, they are taken ata suitable time, theiropenings temporarily'closed, and they are then changed, the lower onebeing withdrawn, the upper let down on to the cleats O, and the onesthat were before below them slid in on top ot' the others. The stoppaesVthen being removed, the' queen will descend into the lower, and makethat her brood-hive as soon as the bees have constructed the comb in it.New hives may thus also readily be substituted for either. I

The precise number of hives and boxes shown, and their several capacity,may be varied as desired, as may also obviously the angle of incliuationof their bottoms, their relative proportions, and other unessentialfeatures of construction shown.

Having thus descrihed my invention,

The following is what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure byLetters Patentv 1. I claim the entrances or cut-offs O, constructedsubstantiallyas descrihed, in combination with two or more alternatinghives, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. I claim the hives D. E, alternating and connecting with each other,as descrihed, coustructed and arranged substautially as and for thepurposes set forth.

3. 1 claim thev combination of the front and rear hives D H, each withthe other, and both with the other parts of the bee-house,a1lconstructedand arranged snbstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. I `claim the store 01' supply-boxes H, eonstructed and anangedsubstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5(1 claim the combined zu'rangement, 'in ;L beehouse, of the hives 1) EH I, and honey-boxes I' I. provided with connecting-passages G K H' H I'I'f 1", an'd adapted to be isolated, when desired, by means of slides SS', substantially as herein represeuted and described, for the purposesset forth.

6. In` combination with the hives D E H I, conset fo'rth.

GEORGE CALVERT. Witnesses:

WM. H. BRERETON, Jr. J. L. EWIN.

